Well, it wasn’t the cleanest hockey game I’ve ever seen, but as they saying goes, there’s no column for ugly wins and last night’s sloppy 4-3 win over Colorado was ugly in a lot of ways. Five on five, the Predators looked pretty good, the Predators jumped on Avalanche miscues, forced turnovers and generally played well on the offensive side of the puck. James Neal returned to the lineup after missing four games and potted his 11th of the season, the power play converted and the Predators got two points.
There’s the good news… the bad news… Nashville looked like a turnover machine at some points of the game, did not do well in the faceoff dot and frankly… the penalty kill continues to be a mess, giving up two power play goals and allowing Colorado to get back in the game multiple times. That’s the kind of game where you get the payback for the way the weekend went.
I also can’t say enough about how much James Neal means to this lineup. His late first period snipe was a thing of beauty and he was dangerous every time he touched the puck. Every time. Neal is a critical cog in the Preds offense because he draws so much focus that it softens up the opponent for other players. The other player making a big impact last night, and overall this season, is Viktor Arvidsson.
Arvidsson got the scoring going on a fine defensive play, kicking the puck forward and springing himself on a breakaway, snapping the first one by Semyan Varlamov. That unassisted goal really sparked the Preds. Teams are now becoming very aware of when #38 is on the ice and they account for him accordingly. His goal last night was his 8th of the season… matching his career high for goals in a season… in game 25.
The turning point for the game however was the lack of discipline shown by the Avalanche in the waning moments of the second period when separate Avalanche players took penalties on the same series. Credit the Preds offense for sustained pressure that tired out the Colorado team and led to that rare multiple penalty call. The ensuing 5-on-3 was split between the second and third periods and, with the advantage winding down, Roman Josi made a nifty move into the mid-slot, took a sweet pass from Ryan Johansen and beat Varlamov for the Frosty goal and the eventual game winner.
Sure, it was ugly… but it was desperately needed as Nashville hits the road today for a couple of games, tomorrow night in Dallas for a critical Central Division matchup with the Stars and Saturday night in Arizona. The SlapShot Radio Road Trip will be out in full force this Saturday as Pred Nation invades the desert!
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Over the past few days, Smashville has raised over $26,000 in an effort to support our friends and family members that were devastated by the East Tennessee fires. Smashville is Standing with Gatlinburg as Sevier County recovers from the wild fires and there are multiple ways for you to help.
• Smashville Stands with Gatlinburg T-Shirts
o Player-worn Smashville Stands with Gatlinburg t-shirts will be auctioned off during next Tuesday’s game.
o Pick up your own t-shirt in the Preds Team Store for a $20 donation.
• A $1 Button has been added to all food and beverage stands throughout Bridgestone Arena, with 100 percent of the donation proceeds going to disaster relief.
• Purchase a ticket to an upcoming Predators home game and a portion of the proceeds will go directly to the Dollywood Foundation. Visit www.nashvillepredators.com/tnfire for more.
• Helmet Stickers were worn by Preds players during last night’s game and can be found at Ford Ice Center through a donation. Fans can also write cards to our firemen and women serving East Tennessee and will receive a helmet sticker.
So many of us have been watching the situation in East Tennessee, I know our family has spent so many wonderful times in Gatlinburg. My wife and I were just there the week before Thanksgiving and the cabin that we have spent so many weekends in over many years …is now gone.
Our love and thoughts go to the great people that we have come to know in the Gatlinburg area, the city is slowly getting back on its’ feet and will reopen for business on Friday at 7am. Make plans to go visit… the downtown area is intact. Go have some fun, visit the restaurants and the kitschy tourist stuff... you will make memories and help keep the mom and pop feel of this fine city intact.
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Random Notes
- Kevin Fiala posted his first NHL assist last night on PK Subban’s marker.
- Tomorrow night’s Dallas game is critical for both teams, Dallas is trying to get its feet back under them after suffering a LOT of injuries and Nashville is trying to get its road act together.
- Columbus head coach John Tortorella is no longer on the hot seat as the Jackets are only one point out of first in the Metro. His elimination of the day of game skate is bringing some interesting comments, but so far, it seems to be working.
- Boy did things get ugly in Jersey last night, a couple of frightening hits on both sides had blood on the ice and stretchers being needed.
- Four games in the NHL tonight, all times CST – 6:30pm – MIN @ TOR. 7pm – BOS @ WSH. 9:30pm – CAR @ ANA, OTT @ SJS.
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SSR’s season nine is on, our next show is tonight at 7pm on 102.5 the Game. SlapShot Radio is the longest running hockey show in the mid-south and Pete Weber and I bring you the best in hockey talk all season long. We will be previewing the SlapShot Radio road trip, talking to the Voice of the Tucson Roadrunners, former Preds radio man Tom Callahan and we will also be chatting with Bob Heethuis, Coyotes radio play-by-play man.
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